Festival honours Mother Goddess

A festival, honouring the practices related to the worship of the Mother Goddess, is being organised at Rung Temple, Long Bien District, Ha Noi from November 9 to 12, by the Thang Long Cultural Heritage Association.

The festival aims to implement a national action programme to preserve and promote the values of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity ‘Mother Goddesses worship’.

The event features the participation of 29 instrumentalists and vocalists (Cung Van), who sit on the right of the stage. With the participation of artist troupes, the event is expected to help to promote the unique indigenous culture and practices. The ritual to worship Mother, or the Mother Goddess Religion, is one of the main religions in Viet Nam which originated from the thousand-year-old age of matriarchy.

In Viet Nam’s Mother Goddess worshipping practice, there are Four Palaces including Nhac Phu (Forest), Thien Phu (Heaven), Thuy Phu (Water) and Dia Phu (Earth).

As part of the festival, the Viet Nam Music Development Centre will host a workshop on preserving and promoting Mother Goddess worshipping at the Hao Nam Temple, Hao Nam Street, Ha Noi, on November 16.

Viet Nam’s worship of Mother Goddesses was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, last year.